PORT TOBACCO, Md. (Jan. 9, 2008)—Archaeologists discovered at least ten Colonial Period and four prehistoric American
Indian archaeological sites in Port Tobacco during explorations conducted this past summer and fall. A report detailing the findings has just been issued by the Port Tobacco Archaeological Project.
The archaeological team, headed by Dr. Jim Gibb of Annapolis and Dr. April Beisaw of Binghamton University, sought the houses, shops, and warehouses of this one-time Charles County seat of government, discovering sites from the 1700s and 1800s, as well as thousand-year-old American Indian sites. The archaeological team discovered that a thick deposit of gravelly sediment covered much of the town site, preserving artifacts and remains of buildings that predate the American Revolutionary War.
The project, in collaboration with the Society for the Restoration of Port Tobacco, is planning additional investigations for the spring. Investigators will seek to uncover portions of some of the Indian and Colonial sites to determine their condition and to collect information on the effects of settlement on the local environment.
Dr. Gibb will provide an illustrated talk about the project, its findings, and the future of this quiet little Southern Maryland town at the Port Tobacco Courthouse on January 27, 2008, at 1 p.m. The presentation will last approximately 50 minutes, followed by a questions and comments. This event is sponsored by the Charles County Historical Trust and the Society for the Restoration of Port Tobacco, Inc.